The Balance Omnibus

by Alan Baxter

  ‘But the words...’

  ‘Look in your mind. You have the words now. And as you enter Sanctum, you will learn more. More words, more power, more control. You will be truly great.’

  She could feel the words in her mind, almost as if they were a physical presence there. They were powerful things. ‘What will I be great at exactly?’ she asked.

  ‘These are important times, Faith. Amazing events are at hand and we are at the centre of things. We have always been a force of chaos and change. We have always worshipped the power of blood and used the blood to empower our desires. Now the ancient god of blood Himself has noticed us and answered our call for change. What we have already achieved He will improve upon tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold! There is nothing that we can’t do now, with the power of Yath-vados Himself within us. Not some distant, ego-maniacal god does nothing for his followers. Ours is a god of presence, of action.

  ‘And now our greatest member, the leader of our order, the man we call Dominus, is leading us to ever greater heights. He is gathering everyone together and there is going to be an event of unprecedented import. And I have just learned that it will be right here, in Australia. I want you to be ready to be an integral part of it.’

  Faith looked at Lars, perturbed by the fire of zealotry in his eyes. He was moved beyond normal admiration by this Dominus, that much was certain. ‘Is that why you’ve been so busy lately?’

  ‘Yes, my love. We are putting out the word that a Gather of massive proportions is coming.’

  ‘Here at this house?’

  He laughed. ‘No, no. This house is not nearly big enough to accommodate everyone that will come. There will be hundreds of people, from all over the world.’

  ‘Where will it be then?’

  Lars shrugged. ‘I don’t know yet. I make preparations as I receive instruction, but no one will know exactly where until the time is closer. Remember, secrecy is paramount if we are to get these things done without being interfered with by the law.’

  ‘And what exactly will happen? What is this big event?’

  ‘I don’t know. Dominus has always led the ONC with a far greater knowledge and understanding than anyone else could possibly show. You know, there are rumours that he is over one hundred and fifty years old! When you have met the Dominus, you realise how insignificant you have been in the world. But his is the ability to foster in you the power for incredible things. You think the things I have shown you are amazing? You think that little lesson just now was impressive? It is nothing compared to the things that the Dominus can show you. Less than nothing.’

  Faith smiled, Lars’s passion infectious. ‘I should certainly like to meet this Dominus.’

  ‘And you will, my love. That is why I want you to be trained and ready. There is not much time. People will begin to arrive in a few days. I am making preparations for members to be accommodated all over the city, all over the country, ready for further instructions. A time of incredible wonder is fast approaching and you will be a part of it, Faith. I promise you that.’

  She looked down at him, crouched before her. She had never encountered this much passion in anyone before, about anything. This was the sort of thing that would never have happened at home. The people of her little Blue Mountains town could never have raised this much enthusiasm for anything. She had stumbled onto something awe-inspiring and she intended to see it through.

  Movement from the corner of her eye distracted her. The big, black crow was back at the window, stalking back and forth along the ledge. It stared at her with one incredibly bright, shiny eye. She watched it for a moment, concerned. Not looking away, she said, ‘I will be a part of it.’

  Lars smiled. ‘You will. I promise you that.’

  ‘What makes you say such a thing?’

  ‘It is simply too much of a change for me to consider, Optimates.’

  ‘Is it really, Matthew? Why?’

  ‘I am an atheist, Optimates. When I joined this organisation I was enthralled by its power and its mission and I gladly gave myself over to it. But now we have been worshipping this god for some time and I feel that the ONC has moved away from its mission. Too far away for me. From an organisation of anarchy it has become some cult of worship to this ancient god. A god that I can’t even be sure exists.’

  The Optimates stood up angrily. ‘Speak not ill of Yath-vados, Matthew. There are things happening that you may not understand, but stay the course and see for yourself the wonders.’

  ‘No, sir. I’ve had enough. I wish you all well on your continued journey, but this is not something I can be a part of any longer.’

  ‘Leaving is not an option, Matthew.’

  Matthew looked worried. ‘What do you mean?’ He backed towards the door.

  The Optimates walked around his desk and raised one hand, palm flat. He began to utter dark, disturbing words, a small, bleeding score across his palm. Matthew started stammering, looking for words lost in his fast rising panic. As the Optimates approached him, Matthew stopped, frozen but for his trembling. His limbs would not respond, his tongue felt swollen in his mouth and throat. Fear loosed his bladder as the Optimates’ broad, cruel knife was raised before his face. As Matthew’s blood arced across the room, the Optimates laughed a deep, throaty laugh. ‘Yath-vados, those that can’t worship I send directly to you!’

  A satisfied sigh floated darkly through a Realm soaked in blood.

  9

  ‘It’s not necessarily as bad as you think.’

  Isiah stared at Petra, his mouth twisted. ‘Really?’ His tone was sarcastic. Petra shook her head, turning away to look over the edge of the parapet, across vast mountains creasing an infinite view. The weather was still harsh, but not as bad as when they had arrived. The wind whipped their hair back, tugged at their clothes, but it was pure, clean. ‘A group with a global agenda of chaos will unite, causing great instability,’ Isiah went on. ‘A dark god will gain enormous power, innocent blood will soak the earth?’

  Petra turned back to him, her face pained. ‘We have watched these prophecies unfold for a long time. Prophecies are superficial at best, never inevitabilities. We are prepared. We plan to do something about it.’

  Isiah barked a short laugh. ‘We? Are you forgetting the fourth point? An immortal human will be the only hope of salvation. You’re all pretty convinced that’s me and if I’m the only hope, then all your preparations might be irrelevant.’

  ‘You are like a petulant child! Cai Wu told us to discuss this. He told us to consider the best way forward. We’re not going to make much headway if you just bitch about how it’s all down to poor old you.’

  Isiah opened his mouth to protest but Petra held up a hand. ‘It may be down to you,’ she said softly. ‘But there’s nothing that says that what you do has to be done alone. We are a strong and experienced group here. We can help you, prepare you. And, in truth, if it came down to it, I don’t think you’d have any problem coping on your own anyway.’

  Isiah deflated. ‘I’m sorry. I’m used to working alone. I’m just sick of it, that’s all. I’m tired.’

  ‘I get the impression you’ve made that complaint before.’

  Isiah laughed. ‘I make that complaint all the time. It’s my primary bitch.’

  Petra smiled. ‘So why carry on?’

  ‘You have a beautiful smile.’

  Her eyes narrowed. ‘Answer the question.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Why carry on? If you’re so tired of it all, why continue?’

  ‘You make it sound like I have a choice.’

  She tipped her head to one side. She seemed to do that a lot when she thought. Isiah found it alluring. ‘You don’t have a choice?’

  He shrugged. ‘There’s the part about not really having a choice and there’s the part about knowing too much to stop. Regardless of choice, the things I know and the abilities I have make it impossible for me to ignore things. I’m a part of the Balance and it’s not something I can w
alk away from.’

  ‘That makes you something of a hero, then.’

  Isiah winced. ‘Not really. Sometimes perhaps I do heroic things. Other times I do despicable things. I’ve killed beautiful and innocent souls. I’ve caused immense suffering.’

  ‘Always for a greater good.’

  ‘Really? Is it really a greater good?’

  Petra put her hand against Isiah’s cheek. It was warm and gentle, yet held the potential for so much power. ‘I suppose that’s something only you can really answer. The world is not a good place. Nor is it a bad place. It just is. The potential is there for terrible things to happen, and that’s where you come in. But you’re not alone. You may operate alone, under your own agenda, but we fight a similar war.’

  Isiah covered Petra’s hand with his own, staring into her eyes. There were decades of beauty in her eyes. ‘It’s good to know that there are others doing similar work,’ he said. ‘Mine is a lonely path.’

  ‘It doesn’t need to be.’

  He felt the warmth of her hand against his cheek and palm. Their eyes were locked. A wealth of possibilities washed through his mind. He had made a promise to himself a long, long time ago that he hadn’t broken in centuries, but this was different. Wasn’t it? This was a woman similar to him. She had power like his and longevity like his. Could he risk enjoying the warmth of this hand on his cheek? This was a dangerous time. And right now there seemed to be more important things to concentrate on. What had at first been the relatively simple job of tracking down this Sorcerer had developed into something much bigger and more dangerous. He felt the hand of fate more heavily than Petra’s soft palm. And he was not on particularly friendly terms with fate, often being the instrument of its disruption.

  ‘I have to talk to someone,’ he said, looking away from Petra’s gaze.

  She nodded, letting her hand slip back to her side. ‘Will you be gone long?’

  ‘I don’t need to go anywhere. I just need somewhere private.’

  ‘I’ll show you to some quarters. Then I’ll find out what the latest news is and we can talk again.’ Petra allowed a small smile to tug the corners of her mouth, then turned and led him back into the ancient building.

  Moments later he sat on the edge of a simple bed in an otherwise empty room and stared at the plain wood of the door. The image of Petra leaving was still fresh in his mind. He remembered with a smile the old comedian’s line, ‘I hate it when she leaves, but I love to watch her go!’ He shook his head. What the hell is happening to me?

  He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, slipping into a deep meditation. He emptied his mind, centreing himself. After several minutes he let his mind reach out, energy building. The familiar expansion of RealmShift flowed through him and he left the simple bedroom. In a place that was usually the safest, most relaxing place he knew, Isiah stood, hands thrust into the pockets of his leather jacket. Bright white nothingness surrounded him.

  ‘So what the fuck is going on?’ he called out.

  For a moment there was no response, then the soft, breezy chimes floated up into Isiah’s ears and mind. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING TO CONCERN YOURSELF WITH.

  ‘So you said before and I told you that I was going to concern myself with it anyway. I know you’re well aware of everything that’s been happening, but let’s just recap shall we?

  ‘I decide to ice this Sorcerer bastard because he’s responsible for creating evil, bloodthirsty fuckwits. You don’t like that, but I don’t care. On searching for him I’ve uncovered a global organisation that seems to have an inordinate amount of power, worshipping some dark god that they think is gaining more power. I also discover an entire group of ancient mages doing work very similar to my own. I had no previous knowledge of either group, but one of them seems to know me. And it would seem that they have prophecies directly involving me! How can you not have known about this?’

  IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF HAVING KNOWLEDGE OR NOT.

  Isiah ground his teeth. ‘Then let me ask my question again. What the fuck is going on?’

  WHEN HAS IT EVER BEEN AN ISSUE FOR A GROUP TO WORSHIP A GOD? WHEN HAS MORE VARIETY EVER BEEN ANYTHING BUT THAT WHICH YOU FIGHT FOR?

  ‘This is something more. The more gods, the more potential for Balance. No problem. But there is something else happening here.’

  HUMANS WILL ALWAYS RAISE NEW GODS, FORGET OTHERS, FIGHT EACH OTHER AND KILL EACH OTHER. IT’S THEIR NATURE.

  ‘I know. But this is something directly involving me. Surely that means it directly involves you?’

  ARE YOU SURE THAT THE UMBRA MAGI ARE CORRECT IN ASSUMING YOU ARE THE ONE IN THEIR PROPHECIES?

  ‘It seems fairly conclusive, given the little information they have to go on.’ Isiah’s eyes narrowed. ‘Then again, surely that’s something you’d know? Tell me directly that it’s not me. Come on, tell me that!’

  There was silence.

  ‘Ha! You bastard! You know that it is me that’s involved. Why do you keep telling me not to get involved?’

  YOU KNOW VERY WELL THE EFFECT THE ACTIONS OF PEOPLE CAN HAVE. HAS IT NOT OCCURRED TO YOU THAT THE MORE YOU TRY TO GET INVOLVED THE MORE YOU DISRUPT THINGS?

  ‘But I am involved. Are you playing me like you play with the lives of others?’ Isiah was getting angry now, infuriated.

  YOU ARE ON THIN ICE TO TALK ABOUT PLAYING IN THE LIVES OF HUMANS.

  ‘Fuck you! I do your bidding. I see the worth of what I do, even when I hate it. But don’t you dare play me! For most, it’s more dangerous for them to know what’s occurring.’ Isiah’s voiced raised to a shout. ‘I don’t have that luxury!’

  There was more silence as he stood and fumed. He let the silence grow, determined not to give in. Eventually he knew that if he didn’t say any more neither would the Balance. ‘Tell me what you know, please.’

  THE ORDO NOVUS CRUOR ARE GAINING POWER AND EMBARKING ON A NEW AGENDA OF WORSHIP. A NEW GOD IS RISING. THE UMBRA MAGI ARE INVOLVED, WATCHING THE GROWTH. THEY FEAR THE SPREAD OF EVIL. THEY HAVE HEARD PROPHECY AND YOU ARE SELF-FULFILLING PARTS OF IT.

  ‘And you would rather I didn’t.’

  YOU HAVE SEEN GODS RISE AND FALL BEFORE, ISIAH. IT IS THE NATURE OF FLUX IN THE BALANCE.

  ‘But this Sorcerer is an evil son of a bitch. He raises powerful blood mages. He must be stopped.’

  THAT IS YOUR MORAL, HUMAN MIND TALKING.

  ‘Yes it is. This growth of the ONC will surely upset the Balance. Why aren’t you concerned?’

  WILL IT? IS IT THE BALANCE YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OR THE SIMPLE, HUMAN DESIRE TO PREVENT BLOODSHED?

  ‘One leads to the other.’

  DOES IT? OR ARE YOU USING THAT REASONING TO JUSTIFY YOUR ACTIONS?

  Isiah’s anger was rising again. ‘Twisting the ideas around is pointless. I don’t care what you to consider to be my motives, I intend to find and stop the Sorcerer. I intend to bring down the power of this ONC and prevent more loss of innocent life.’

  REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT IS BETTER OR WORSE FOR THE BALANCE OF HUMANITY’S FREE WILL?

  ‘Fuck you.’

  Isiah stood staring into the infinite white distance for some time, thoughts tumbling over each other in his mind. Of course he understood the nature of the Balance. Of course he realised that sometimes there had to be evil, unsavoury things. Yin and yang, black and white, good and evil, one could not exist without the other. But this was too much. There was something rotten at the very core of this. Was it simply his own agenda? He remembered the evil that had pervaded the site of the Sorcerer’s home. He had the power and the ability to prevent that kind of perversion against nature continuing. Even if it did go against the Balance to some degree to bring down the Sorcerer’s organisation, surely it could do no real harm in the long run. Balance was all important, but how much could it really affect the Balance, one way or the other, to wipe out this blood worshipping cult? Besides, Isiah could not help feeling that there was more to this. Something beyond the concept of balance itself.

  DO Y
OU REALLY BELIEVE THAT?

  He had long since got used to having no privacy to his thoughts in this Realm. ‘I can only base my actions on two things. One, if what I was going to do would drastically upset the Balance, you would prevent it. Two, I feel that there’s more here than a simple cult and its weak god.’

  IS THAT REALLY WHAT YOU BELIEVE?

  ‘Yes it is.’

  WHY?

  ‘I don’t know. A hunch. Intuition. Fuck knows.’

  MORE LIKELY YOUR HUMAN DESIRE TO ACT IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE LOSS OF INNOCENT LIFE.

  ‘Maybe. And so what? If it is, so be it. If I’m really likely to upset the Balance, you’d stop me, right?’

  There was silence again.

  ‘Right?’

  More silence.

  ‘Oh, fuck you.’ Isiah slipped away, reforming on the bed in the sparse room of Petra’s home. Was he really at odds with the Balance? He honestly didn’t care. His work was difficult and thankless. He was often indifferent to the things he had to do, hardened by so many years of experience. Sometimes he greatly enjoyed his work and sometimes he despised it, and himself for doing it. But this was different. This was personal. This Sorcerer was evil and his society was growing stronger. Isiah was returned once again to the same thought that had recurred all along. Preventing the creation of more evil bastards like Samuel Harrigan was a good thing and an act Isiah could be proud of taking on.

  He got up and headed out of the room, back to Cai Wu’s quarters. With any luck the old man would be there and they could talk some more. Isiah needed to learn more about the ONC and this Umbra Magi group had surveilled them for some time.

  When he reached Cai Wu’s room he reached up to knock on the door. Before his knuckles reached the wood, the door opened and Petra stood there. ‘Good timing. You’ll want to hear this.’

  Isiah’s eyebrows raised and he smiled. ‘Really?’

  She returned his smile, affecting a slightly coy expression. She stepped back and pulled the door all the way open, revealing several people seated on the floor, including Master Cai. The old man nodded and indicated that Isiah join them. Petra sat beside her Master, so Isiah sat beside her.